Vending Business Information, Issue #020 -- Bill Changers And Their Role In The Vending BusinessJune 12, 2011

Bill Changers And Their Role In The Vending Business

The bill changer allows your customer to get change for a bill and then make a purchase from your equipment. The reason they are important to you is that vending machines do not have the capacity to make change for larger bills without running the coin mechanism low on change.

What components make up a bill changer?

The changer has a bill acceptor the same as your vending machine. Most vendors save money on the bill acceptors they put in a vending machine. They install acceptors that only accept the one dollar bill.
The bill acceptor in a bill changer will normally accept up to the $20.00 bill. There are several brands available and with the right wiring loom most any brand of acceptor will work in a bill changer.

The bill changer normally has two hoppers that you will fill with coin to make change with. The bill changer hoppers will hold approximately $1000.00 in dollar coins. The dollar coin has become popular in a bill changer simple because you can get so much more money in the changer.

Some vendors will use quarters and nickels in the bill changers if they are charging prices for their product that causes the vending machine to run low on nickels and quarters. The bill changer can be set up to give back whatever kind of change you want.

One thing to keep in mind is that when a customer drops a $20.00 bill in a changer getting back 20 dollar coins is more acceptable than 80 quarters.

Where To Install A Bill Changer

Bill changers should be installed in accounts that have over a 100 employees. With 100 employees an account will start to outgrow the limits of a vending machine for making change.

In most cases at your smaller accounts the vending machine coin mechanism and bill acceptor can take care of your account if set up correctly. That would mean a coin mechanism that is capable of handling dollar coins and a bill acceptor that will take larger bills.

How To Install A Bill Changer

The bill changer does not weigh much and could be carried off if not bolted down. Most seasoned vendors will place the bill changer between two vending machines and then bolt them all together with a metal strap along the top of the machines.

A metal strap 1 inch wide by ľ inch thick by 10 feet long with holes predrilled every 10 inches apart before going on location works well to tie your equipment together.

Lay the strip on top of your equipment. Then take 1 inch long self-tapping screws and your drill and attach your equipment together. You want to make sure that you are not drilling into a vital component of your vending machine by checking the inside of it before you start to drill.

Summary

The bill acceptor is a vital part of a vendorís equipment. It should be used in accounts that are running the coin mechanisms low on change in your vending equipment.

They make it possible for you to have plenty of change available for your customers enabling them to make a purchase from your machines. There is not much that goes wrong with a bill changer. They will be one of the more reliable machines you own.

Refunds are an area we should discuss in closing. A customer can claim to have lost a sizable amount of money through a bill changer. Setting a policy in advance for refunds is a good idea.

It is easy to tell if a customer is trying to take advantage of you after you have counted the money coming back from an account. If they are telling the truth about losing money there will always be more money coming back from a bill changer than it went out with.

Let your customer know you will only refund money from a bill changer after you have counted the money that comes back.

This ezine is mailed a day late because we attended the 35th Slack reunion in Des Moines Iowa yesterday. Today we are nestled in our motor home in a camp ground outside of Ottumwa Iowa.